Splend startup costs and special charges explained
Ready to get started with Splend? We’re excited for you to join our community. We know there’s a lot to consider when you get started with Splend's Flexi or Flexi own plans, so we’ve put together this easy-to-follow guide. Before we delve into the smaller details, here’s what your early payments look like in comparison with a normal week’s invoice:
Regular charges | Special charges (from the previous week) | |||
First week | Setup fee | Collection day fee* | First upfront weekly fee | N/A |
Normal week | Weekly fee (for the upcoming week) | Excess mileage/Early ownership fee | Tolls and infringements + admin fee | Insurance excess, car damage, etc. |
* For the days left of the first week including the day you pick up the car
Startup costs
These are the early payments (due in the first week of your subscription agreement) that you need to be familiar with:
1. Setup fee
Having a Splend car is like being part of a club. The setup fee is a one-off payment allowing instant driver activation. Read more about the setup fee in our FAQs in the Flexi and Flexi own sections.
2. Collection day fee
When picking up your car for the first time, you’ll pay a day rate for each day until the end of the week. Our billing week runs Monday to Sunday. For example, if you pick up the car on a Friday, we'll charge you three days' subscription fee for the remainder of the week, plus the next week.
3. First upfront weekly fee
Our business model is unique because you can get a car even with bad credit. However, we can only do this by collecting your payments one week in advance. You’re basically paying next week’s subscription fee each time we charge your card. On the day you pick up your car we also charge you your first full week’s fee.
IMPORTANT: Wednesday midnight is our regular billing time. After your first week, we’ll charge your nominated card on that time, regardless of which day you signed up or picked up your car.
Special charges
There are some other occasional costs that may add to your invoice, on top of your normal weekly fee.
Excess mileage / Early ownership fee
If you exceed the 1,000 km weekly quota, there’s a small charge of 10¢ for every additional kilometre. For example, if you travelled 1,100 kilometres in one week, we’ll charge you $10 extra, and it will appear on your next invoice.
Note: On the Flexi own plan, the excess mileage fees go towards early ownership. The more you drive, the sooner you own the car.
Tolls and infringements
As Splend is the owner of your car, we have to transfer any tickets you might receive into your name. We charge a $25 administration fee for each traffic offence and a $25 fee for any tolls not paid.
Insurance excess
If you have an accident, you’ll need to pay the insurance excess. Find out more under Damage and Loss in our FAQ.
Car damage outside fair wear and tear
Any damage outside what’s included in the fair wear and tear guide will be charged to you.
Case study - Startup cost example
Here's an example of startup costs. Say, you sign up to the Flexi plan on Thursday, and pick up your $390/week Mitsubishi Outlander on Friday.
1. Setup fee
We’ll charge you the $275 setup fee on Thursday, and book you in to pick up your car on Friday.
2. Collection day fee
Since you pick up the car on Friday, that’s when you’ll pay the collection day fee. The week that you pay for will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday totalling $167.1. 3. First upfront weekly fee Since we collect the payments one week in advance, we’ll also charge you your first normal weekly subscription fee of $390 for week two on the same day you pick up your car.
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
Week 1 | N/A | Setup fee Covers customer benefits for the entire duration of your subscription | Collection day fee Covers Friday - Sunday | ||||
First upfront weekly fee Covers week 2 | |||||||
Week 2 | Weekly fee Covers week 3* |
* plus any special charges (if any) from week 1
What happens to my advance payment when I return the car?
Since you’ve paid the full week in advance, you’ll get a refund for the remaining days after returning your car if you don’t owe any outstanding amounts.
About Splend
We enable people to make money by driving for on-demand apps such as Uber. We’re more than a car subscription provider. In addition to new-model cars and all the essentials to start earning money with Uber as quickly as possible, our customers enjoy driver training and dedicated support, as well as customer benefits such as partner discounts and exclusive events. For more information about Splend, make an appointment and drop by to your local Splend Hub, email us, or say hello on 1800 775 363.